


The World to Rights

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: The first ten minutes in the Alpha Quadrant from Chakotay’s POV.





	The World to Rights

**Author's Note:**

> To all my Betas on Beta Appreciation Day… thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

“Set a course, for home.”

Chakotay entered the co ordinates as if in a dream, and then sat silently at the helm, his back rigid and his eyes glued to the viewscreen. He stared at a point beyond the beautiful blue planet in front of him and, as the noise and bustle on the bridge faded around him, his mind took an instant rewind to seven years before.

‘Set a course, for home.’ Those words had started them on their journey all those years ago and those very same words were now sending them home, on this final leg of their odyssey.

The echo of that order hurdled the intervening years. It had been given by the woman standing behind him. Only she wasn’t that woman anymore. Time and circumstance had changed her – just as they’d changed him. Life had come full circle but, somewhere along that circuitous path, he and Kathryn had lost their way.

For two people whose destinies had been so intricately entwined, they’d managed, through mistakes and mishaps, to lose sight of each other and the promise that had burned so brightly between them. They’d drifted further and further apart as the years had marched past and, in the end, they’d squandered what was their most precious gift to each other – their love.

The ship, the crew, the battles, the losses, the fight for survival and the onerous task of finding a way home, had quelled the yearning and muted the desire.

So much more than just time had passed during those years. Lifetimes had been lived and lost, but they’d endured, and now it was over. Suddenly, memories of that Kathryn, from those early days, shone bright and vivid in his mind’s eye.

She’d given that order to the helm seven years ago, and the words had held such promise. Home had been a shining beacon in their distant future, calling to them over the expanse of space and time.

Juxtaposed with the soul rending despair of their isolation was the hope that, around the next corner they would find a way home.

It had seemed so close at times. Close enough that they could almost taste it, but at other times it seemed an almost intangible desire, as fey and insubstantial as the nebulous dust clouds in their path. But through all of it, both good and bad, he and Kathryn had stood, side by side, united in their cause and holding in their hearts such hope for the future.

A future where they were no longer bound by rules and regulations or the stifling restraints of their positions as captain and first officer.

Chakotay closed his eyes. Oh God, how he’d loved her. She’d been _his_ Kathryn. So full of spirit and fire and he’d loved her with a passion so deep, and so profound, that it had almost overwhelmed him. It had been a love unequalled and unrivalled.

Where had it gone? Had it simply ebbed away? Slowly eroded, bit by bit, in the mire of countless battles, lives lost and the unending demands of an interminable quest for home and sanctuary?

They were here now. They’d found their way back to Earth, but he felt even more distant, more detached. It didn’t feel like home.

He turned from the helm and caught Kathryn’s eye. She smiled. _Really_ smiled, for the first time in so long, that he hadn’t realised, until that moment, just how much this journey had stolen from her. Her vitality, her fervour, her joy had slowly drained away. Her guilt, like a seeping wound. But as he held her gaze, she transformed before his eyes. The years fell away and it was like he was seeing her for the first time. As the mantel of responsibility lifted from her, she seemed to grow taller, to lighten… to shine.

His heart lurched in his chest and he sucked air deep into his lungs. It felt like the first deep breath he’d taken in years. It cleansed and invigorated, and with it, the scales of restraint and denial fell from his eyes and he could see his future again. His future with Kathryn.

Could it be this simple? Could they so easily find what they’d lost? Was it possible to rekindle their love after all this time, and retrieve the precious gift of shared hearts that they’d forfeited?

Or perhaps it hadn’t been lost at all, just misplaced or even hidden somewhere safe, to be rediscovered when the time was right.

As Kathryn’s attention was diverted by the view on the forward screen, his eyes flicked up to Seven. She was standing at her station on the upper bridge where he had left her when Kathryn had ordered him to the helm.

Her eyes met his and, for a moment, he was assailed by guilt and remorse. His feelings were written plainly on his face, and her eyes became cold and wary.

Seven had been watching him, so she knew what was happening. She wasn’t the guileless ingénue who had first approached him several weeks ago. Their time together had taught her much and he knew that she understood that their relationship was doomed. Her eyes darted away from his and she glanced towards where Kathryn stood, silhouetted against the backdrop of Earth. There was a flash of anger in her eyes and then, with a slight sag of her shoulders, Seven surrendered. Chakotay knew what she was thinking – _there was no point fighting the inevitable._ Even _she_ understood that his and Kathryn’s lives were irrevocably linked, and had been from almost the first moment they’d laid eyes on one another.

Seven may have only recently become acquainted with matters of the heart, but she was no fool. She’d loved and lost. Her time in Unimatrix Zero with Axum had taught her that painful truth, and Chakotay knew she recognised the feeling. Only this time she’d lost to a woman whom she cared for more than anyone else in this world, himself included.

In a stoic show of respect and sacrifice, Seven’s eyes again met Chakotay’s. She inclined her head in understanding and smiled slightly. Their relationship was over. He blinked his eyes slowly in gratitude and turned back towards the woman who owned his soul and held his heart.

Kathryn was now sitting in her command chair looking serenely ahead. It was a vision so heart-warmingly familiar that it made him want to shout for the joy of it all. There she was, just as she’d always been. So… Kathryn.

He’d thought she’d been lost, but he was wrong. She was still there. Her steady presence was staking a claim on her future by bringing with it the past. She’d uttered those words intentionally to bring an end to this journey with a reminder of its beginning. This chapter was closed and she was now ready for the new.

She sat in her command chair with her legs crossed, her hands loosely furled on the armrests, calmly staring ahead at the way home. How often had he seen her like this? Too many times to count, but today the familiarity of it held a sweetness and a sublime sense of accomplishment. Home was now in her sights. She’d fulfilled her promise and her eyes shone with delight and relief.

Chakotay nodded to his replacement before relinquishing the helm, and took the two steps to the command level at a jog. He moved to stand in front of his chair, just to left of his captain.

At first he didn’t think that she was aware of his presence, her focus was so riveted on the view in front of her, but suddenly her eyes flicked up to his.

They held each other’s gazes for several heart beats and, as he held out his hand, her eyes dropped to stare at his open palm and a slight frown creased her brow. Lifting her gaze, she searched his face for a long moment and then her eyes opened wide as the realisation settled over her. She watched her hand rise and slide into the warmth of his firm grasp and her eyes found his again. He laid his other hand over the top of hers and whispered. “Welcome home, Kathryn.”

The frown disappeared and she stared up at him.

Slowly the focus of the crew slid from the viewscreen to the quiet drama unfolding in the centre of the bridge. Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the command team.

With a gentle tug, Chakotay pulled Kathryn to her feet. She teetered for a moment and then took a step towards him, her free hand coming to rest on his chest.

It was how they’d first met – as enemies, standing toe to toe and eye to eye in the centre of the bridge. Their bond had been forged in that moment and it had grown and strengthened over time, tempered by battles won and lost, and the years of deep and abiding friendship. And even though the ties that bound them had been tested, battle scarred and wearied, they’d held strong. Those bonds, which Chakotay had thought were broken, remained intact and were once again weaving around them, protecting them and holding them fast to one another.

This was yet another bookend to their journey. Only now, they stood facing each other as lovers, with but a breath of air between them, until finally Chakotay leaned forward and spoke quietly into her ear.

The words were for Kathryn alone and although no one heard what was said, her eyes closed and the look on her face told of peace and dreams fulfilled. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket and her forehead rested against his chest. Chakotay closed his eyes, his lips moving silently, as he gave thanks. There was no sound. There was no kiss. None was needed.

As they slowly pulled away from one another, Kathryn’s hand drifted up to cup his cheek and again their eyes met as her hand stroked down his chest.

They took a small step away from one another and stood, side by side. Chakotay’s hand came to rest gently on her shoulder and with one last look at each other, they both turned towards the viewscreen and home.

- _fin_ -


End file.
